What Thin Man Got Up To In October

Nina Antonia and Susan de Muth on HMS Albion

Thin Man has been busy busy busy…

In September we launched another beautiful book – Licentia by A.A. Walker – in the 18th century, atmospheric Boot & Flogger in Redcross Way Borough. As our guests arrived, it just so happened that, under the full moon, Thin Man poet, John Constable was conducting a ritual at the Cross Bones graveyard just outside the venue. Cross Bones, in case you didn’t know, is where the ‘Winchester Geese’ (that’s what prostitutes were called in ye olden days) are buried. The road was blocked with revellers who then made their way in to the ‘Ovens’ in the Boot and Flogger just in time for a mesmerising performance by A.A. Walker who read accompanied by Oz on Theramin which gave the erotic drama an other-wordly feel. Everyone had a damned fine time…

‘Licentia’ is an ongoing creative project and you can find videos and other associated material here.

Also in September Nina Antonia and Susan de Muth traversed the Channel to visit Thin Man author, Peter Doherty, in his new gallery space. From the entrance door you can see the Moulin Rouge… no kidding! The Gallery Orphee looks set to be a hotspot of culture with performance space as well as exhibition space (watch video here). Peter and Katia Midniv were warm and welcoming hosts, the former obligingly signed copies of ‘From Albion to Shangri-La’ and entertained us with ditties to a tuneful guitar as well as stories about prison life – ‘Breakfast, Pete’ said his cell mate, waving a rat by its tail… all these and more, captured on film, can be found by befriending ‘From Albion to Shangri-La’ on Facebook.

We are going back to Paris to talk to publishers about a French edition in November so watch this space.

Nina Antonia continues apace with the updated new edition of ‘The One and Only:Peter Perrett, Homme Fatale’. She visited Peter and Zina to catch up on their latest news and get some photos. A whole new chapter will be added to the original, updated, mansucript. The book is on target for release before Christmas fingers crossed…

In October Thin Man went to the Libertines gig at Ally Pally. He doesn’t generally go to gigs cos he’s scared of getting squashed but he stayed at the side of the massive hall and had a fine old time swaying gently from side to side (dancing). Peter and Carl gave it their all, collapsing at the end in a sweaty, knackered heap. Thin Man was well impressed.

Finally, we got some button badges made of the little drawings in the Peter Doherty book. We’re gonna give them away with copies of the book in the run up to Christmas, and maybe sell some too. But we only got 100 sets so they’ll be a collector’s item we guess.